Perfect Chemistry
by Bubbly-Soda
Summary: Tiffany Terrell is taken away from her lavish life in Manhattan and is forced to slum it in a small town in Vermont. Justin Gabriel is a gang member hoping to escape for a chance at a better future, and Tiffany's neighbour. When the two of them are paired together in Chemistry, they realise that the stereotypes can be broken and destiny can be changed.
1. Chapter 1

_**Author's Note: I've decided to write a high-school romance, but hopefully it's not like the cliched ones you've all read.  
>This story is loosely based on the book "Perfect Chemistry" by Simone Elkeles, and features one of my favourite couples: Tiffany and Justin.<strong>_

_**Hope you all enjoy, leave your feedback in a review :)**_

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><p>"Mum," Tiffany said worriedly, "are you serious?" staring out the window of the shiny black Escalade, she saw their new home, if you could even call it that. Her mum pulled into the shared parking lot of a double-storey, brick apartment complex, the rundown building wrapping around the car park in a 'u' shape, "you can't expect me to live here!" Tiffany protested.<p>

Her mum turned to face her only daughter, her eyes red and puffy from lack of sleep and too much crying. Her usually perfectly styled platinum blonde hair was tied up in a messy bun, like she didn't care about her appearance anymore, "look, I know you're used to living the high life, so am I, but you father was the one who provided all of that," Tiffany could tell her mum was choking back tears as she talked about her soon-to-be former husband, the founder and chairperson of 'Terrell Real Estate', the leading real estate agency in New York, "this is the best we can afford at the moment, until the money from the divorce comes through."

Tiffany hated her father. She hated him for cheating on her mum with his secretary, she hated him for all the trouble he's caused her family since her mum found out about the affair and most of all she hated him for causing her mum to decide to leave behind their lavish life in Manhattan. Their penthouse level apartment on the Upper East side, her friends, everything. And now they were here, living in some crummy town in Vermont called Lorcliff. Tiffany stepped out of the Escalade and surveyed her surroundings. Walls of the apartment complex were spray painted with all sorts of graffiti, windows of rooms were smashed; some covered up with cardboard and newspaper, the basketball court across the road looked like it was used for much more sinister activities then a friendly neighbourhood game.

"Tiff," her mum interrupted Tiffany's thoughts, "I saw a general store back on the corner, can you go and get cleaning supplies? Bleach, window cleaner, surface spray, stuff like that. It's the first thing I plan to do when we go inside." Tiffany smiled at her mum, knowing that she liked everything to be spotless, in this situation though, Tiffany didn't complain about having to clean, "I'm going to go and talk to our new landlord." Tiffany watched as her mum entered the small building just off of the complex, before slamming the door of the Escalade shut and storming down the cracked concrete pathway towards the general store.

The store smelt like smoke and was dimly lit, finding the aisle which contained the cleaning products Tiffany hurriedly grabbed anything which she thought could be put to good use. Placing the 50 dollar bill on the grimy counter, she waited nervously for the cashier to scan her items and hand her the change, wanting to get out of there as soon as possible.

Once she was back at her new home, Tiffany saw her mum heading up to what she supposed was their room. A group of guys were standing outside on the balcony smoking, drinking and laughing. Tiffany noticed that they were all tanned, muscled and hot, completely different to the neatly groomed, designer clad guys she was used to in Manhattan, though this difference set off a spark of excitement inside of her, she'd always wanted to kiss a guy with dreads and tattoos.

Walking up the concrete stairs towards the room, a series of wolf whistles and cat calls pieced through the silence, Tiffany self-consciously pulled her tight, low-cut, baby pink tee up as she reached the group of mysterious guys. "Well boys, look at what we have here," one of the guys stepped in front of Tiffany, blocking her path to the room. He ran a hand over his buzz cut hairstyle, and crossed his tattooed arms over his chest, "don't get many of them 'round here, and I ain't talkin' bout the Escalade."

"Yeah baby girl, you lost?" questioned the dreadlocked man Tiffany had noticed earlier, "you don't belong here," he added as he raked his eyes over her body; tight top, faded Diesel jeans and black Louboutin pumps.

"Clearly," Tiffany said, trying not to show how intimidated she was, as the two men towered over her, even with her 4 inch heels, "I don't belong here. But I do live here," she stated, flipping her long, blonde hair over her shoulder, "so can you please move so I can get to my room?"

"Ooh, Justin, you're neighbour's feisty," an African American nudged the guy standing next to him, who Tiffany guessed was Justin. His hazel eyes were locked on her own, studying her. Tiffany quickly looked away, before pushing past the dreadlocked and tattooed guys and entering her new home. Tiffany couldn't deny that she was attracted to Justin, his fohawk and muscular build turned her on immediately, but deep down she knew that he, along with his friends were bad news.

_Though I have always had a thing for bad boys_ Tiffany thought, remembering how none of the males at her exclusive Manhattan school ever did anything that could be classed as 'bad'. Suddenly all thoughts of Justin - and boys in general - fled Tiffany's mind as she saw the state of the apartment her mum and her would be living in. Paint was peeling off the walls, the carpet was threadbare and dead insects were scattered around on the floor. Tiffany wanted to run as far away from this place as she could and take a long bath in disinfectant.

"Tiff, come here," her mum called out from somewhere within the apartment, "and bring all that cleaning stuff with you."

Walking into the bathroom, Tiffany was glad that she had bought extra strength bleach, "you'd think they'd clean this place," Tiffany muttered to herself. Donning gloves and giving her mum a pair, Tiffany helped scrub the shower, toilet and every visible surface of the bathroom until it smelt overpoweringly of bleach and her mum was satisfied that it would be impossible to pick up any diseases or infections.

"Be a darl and get the vacuum cleaner from the car will you?" her mum asked, "bedrooms are our next project, I'm cleaning those mattresses before we sleep on them, who knows what's happened in those rooms!"

Tiffany couldn't wait until the removalist van arrived tomorrow so she could sleep in her own, pest free bed, and decorate her room so it somewhat reminded her of her life in Manhattan. Hauling the vacuum cleaner out of the car and struggling to get it up the stairs, Tiffany had to deal with Justin and his group once again, "if _any_ of you were gentlemen, you would've helped me."

"Yeah, it must be hard work liftin' something heavier than your designer handbag," buzz cut guy said "poor you."

"Look," Justin said, "you may be all Beverly Hills, but now you're livin' in the Bronx babe, better get used to it," he called out as Tiffany slammed the door on him and his laughing mates.


	2. Chapter 2

"Bro," Randy said slowly, taking a drag of his cigarette, "your new neighbour chick is _hot_!"

"Hot, but a princess," Tyler laughed, pushing his long dreadlocks from his face, "a bitchy, sexy princess," he added dreamily.

"She won't look at you twice Ty," Justin said, knowing that Tyler Reks had a thing for all the rich, snobby, better-than-you types at Lorcliff High – ones who never gave him the time of day - he knew that his neighbour would be exactly the same as Layla El and Maryse Ouellet. Judging by the way she was dressed Justin had no doubts that she would fit right in with those girls.

"Hey, a man can dream!" Tyler defended himself light-heartedly, "what's her name anyway?" he wondered.

"No idea," Justin admitted, "probably somethin' like Meredith or Brittany; girls that look like her always have bimbo soundin' names."

"How long you reckon she's gunna last here?" asked Jayson Paul, more commonly known among his friends as 'JTG'.

"How long would any princess last?" Justin said, "I bet tomorrow morning she'll want outta here for good." Secretly, Justin was wondering why the blonde girl was living next door to him. The Escalade, the fancy looking outfit, his neighbour was obviously very well off; something that Justin or anyone who lived on the south side of the train tracks wasn't. The only explanation Justin could come up with was that she was tired of all the good guy types and wanted to experience something, or someone, more dangerous and daring.

"We gunna bounce or what?" Randy said, interrupting his thoughts, "Gaspard said to meet at the warehouse at 7, Del Rio needs us to go collect for him."

Silently, Justin let out an angry sigh. He hated doing Alberto Del Rio's dirty work; he hated what it made him. To the other students at Lorcliff High he was just a dirty gangbanger, but he knew that it was the only way to protect his family. They didn't have the riches to buy themselves out of trouble, on the Southside all that mattered was who you were associated with, and being associated with Del Rio meant his family were high up on the 'untouchable' list. That didn't always include him though. Justin had gotten into many fights - including both fists and weapons - since getting jumped into the '_Los Diablos_'; a name fit for Del Rio himself, a man who didn't care what you looked like or where you came from, if you could be beneficial to him, he wanted you in his gang.

Justin looked down at the deep red bandana tied around his wrist, the same as the one Tyler was wearing around his forehead, Randy was wearing around his upper arm and JTG was wearing around his one visible knee. This bandana, this colour symbolised what they were, what they were a part of. Red, the colour of blood, the colour of the Devil. "Well let's go then," Justin said, as the group got into Randy's beat up, rusty pick-up truck and sped off.

Once they pulled up to the secluded warehouse, a tanned, dark haired female came running towards the car, wrapping her arms around Justin's neck when he got out of the vehicle. He pushed her away, "we're not together any more Melina," he reminded her harshly. Melina Perez was his girlfriend up until a couple of months ago, when he caught her and a member of a rival gang in a heated make-out session.

"I know that," she replied, sounding miffed, "but you're still my _Chico_, all of you are." Although Melina wasn't a member of _Los Diablos_, she was treated as one. And even though Justin had some feelings of hatred towards her, she was his girl, just like he was her boy, "anyways Shad is waiting inside for you four."

Shad Gaspard was second-in-charge, ranking under Del Rio, and the only connection between the big boss man himself and the group. Justin could recall seeing the Mexican leader just once; the day he was initiated into the gang, and it seemed that whenever Del Rio needed something done he sent Gaspard to inform the boys. Entering the dimly lit warehouse, the four boys noticed the dark, intimidating Shad Gaspard sitting on the worn out sofa lounge talking with Rosa Mendes. Rosa was probably one of Justin's best friends, they'd known each other pretty much their whole lives. Although she was a member of the cheer squad at Lorcliff High, Rosa was an outcast amongst the other cheerleaders due to where she lived.

"You wanted to see us?" Justin question, interrupting Shad and Rosa's conversation.

Gaspard stood up, his 6'7" frame towering over Justin's own 6'1", "Yes. Alberto needs you to pay Travis Fuller a little visit," Shad explained. Justin was relieved that he only had to go and get money from some guy who owed. Del Rio hadn't asked him to do a drug deal yet, and Justin wanted to keep it that way, "oh and he said to come back with the dough...or else," Shad warned the group.

"You know that won't happen," Randy said cockily, knowing that Del Rio had asked for the four boys to collect because they always got the job done, "where's this kid meant to be meeting us?"

"Corner Redfern and Hill streets, 10 o'clock," Shad replied, filling them in on the details. Justin glanced up at the clock hanging on the tin wall of the warehouse; they still had two and a half hours to wait.

He sighed and sat down on one of the spare tyres lying around on the concrete floor of the warehouse, Rosa came to join him, tossing him a can of Budweiser, "Thanks," he said, opening the cold drink and taking a swig.

"Heard you got a new neighbour," she laughed. Justin shook his head in amazement; news sure did travel fast within the tight knit group.

"Yep, so don't be scared tomorrow when there's another Layla at school," he said referring to the queen bee of Lorcliff High, Justin was pretty sure his neighbour would soon be in contention for that title.

"Oh yay!" Rosa exclaimed sarcastically, "can't wait! But what's a girl like that doing living next to you?" she enquired.

"Have no clue, but I'm gunna find out..." Justin replied mysteriously.

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><p><em><strong>Author's Note: Thanks to those who reviewedalerted/favourited the previous chapter, appreciate it :)**_

_**What did everyone think of Justin and his friends? More importantly, what they're involved in? Leave your thoughts in a review :D**_


	3. Chapter 3

Tiffany groaned as the alarm she'd set for 7:45 am on her fuchsia Blackberry rung throughout the small, dingy room that was now hers. She sat up in the single bed and rubbed her eyes, stifling a yawn. Tiffany realised that last night she'd only gotten around four hours sleep all up. She remembered everything that had kept her up: the lumpy, uncomfortable mattress, the feeling of claustrophobia setting in due to the tiny room; something Tiffany Terrell _definitely _wasn't used to, but worst of all she remembered laying in the unfamiliar bedroom, paralysed with fear, listening to the wailing police sirens and faint gun shots coming in through the barred, open window.

Tiffany got out of the bed, glad that the removalist van was coming today, so by tonight she'd be back in her luxurious, double sized one, though she was doubtful that it would fit in the bedroom along with her antique oak wardrobe. Walking down the short hallway to the kitchen/living room, Tiffany saw that her mum had also made an early start to the day, sitting awkwardly on a wooden barstool eating a bowl of granola. Her mum looked as out of place in the room as Tiffany felt, "oh Tiff!" her mum exclaimed, "I've got some good news for you. Aunty Joanne and Uncle Gregory are driving your car up from New York today, so you'll have it for tomorrow."

Tiffany smiled, doing a silent celebratory cheer in her head. _Finally! Something to make this town a bit more bearable_, she thought happily to herself. "So first day of school today," her mum said whilst Tiffany helped herself to the granola, "scared?"

"Eh kinda," Tiffany shrugged, "I mean I've never been to a public school before, who knows what happens at those places!" Starting a new school was hard, but Tiffany knew it would be harder starting her junior year a week later then everybody else and not knowing anyone.

"Just don't get into too much trouble with the wrong kind of people," her mum warned, "I saw those neighbours of ours, they don't look like the kind to be trusted..."

Tiffany's thoughts were redirected to the day before when she first laid eyes on Justin and his friends. Justin with his dark eyes and sexy hairstyle immediately went on the list of the best looking guys Tiffany had seen, she just wished that he didn't open his mouth and ruin the impression that he'd given her. She could tell that he was a jerk, a guy who thought he was better than everybody else, a guy who had the nerve to tell her that she was 'all Beverly Hills' and refused to help her with the heavy vacuum cleaner when she saw clearly struggling. No guy Tiffany had ever met refused her anything, she was used to getting what she wanted and Justin was going to have to learn that if they were going to be neighbours.

Finishing her breakfast, Tiffany rinsed the bowl out and placed it back into the cardboard box where she's grabbed it from. She and her mum hadn't gotten around to cleaning the kitchen cabinets out and didn't really want to place the kitchenware in there yet. Heading back to her room, Tiffany shut the door and went straight for one of the many organised boxes which contained her clothes. Pulling out her favourite Dsquared halter top, a backless, soft pink item decorated with a bow detail on the front, she laid it out on the bed visualising the perfect outfit to put together for her first day at Lorcliff High.

Judging by Justin and his friends, she could imagine the type of people who would be at the school, and while she didn't want to stand out too much Tiffany still needed to make a statement. Reaching for the box labelled 'pants', she searched for her skinny, dark wash denim Citizens For Humanity jeans and sat them next to her top. And finally she found her mint green Manolo Blahnik pumps which added a quirky touch to the outfit when paired with the pink of the halter.

Examining herself in the wall length mirror that was already in the bedroom when her and her mum had moved in, Tiffany gave a nod of approval at her reflection before getting started on her hair and make-up. At her old school in Manhattan, the girls weren't allowed to wear make-up, but Tiffany and her friends had found a way around that rule: by wearing natural looking foundation, minimal mascara and no eyeshadow. Tiffany still stuck to that same application of her make-up; she believed that girls who caked foundation and mascara on were either insecure or slutty and didn't want to make that impression on her first day. She did her hair up in a loose braid, working from one side of her head to the other so it fell over her right shoulder.

"C'mon Tiff," her mum's voice echoed down the hallway, "school starts at 9 o'clock and I don't know how long it takes to get there." Tiffany grabbed her Blackberry from its resting spot under her goose feather pillow and walked out of her bedroom to meet her mum by the front door, "well don't you look beautiful," her mum complimented her, before they both left the apartment, locking the door behind them.

As Tiffany was walking out of the door, she spotted Justin and the guy with the tattoo sleeves and buzz cut exiting from the apartment next to hers. She tried to inconspicuously pass them but it failed, "hey princess," Justin said arrogantly, "we wanna talk to you." Tiffany waved to her mum - who was already starting up the Escalade - , indicating that she'll be a couple of minutes.

"Really?" Tiffany questioned, "you're calling me by pet names now?"

"Well sweetheart, we don't know your name do we," Justin's friend explained, lightly tugging on her braid before Tiffany whacked away his large hand.

"Tiffany," she said, "happy?" she just wanted to get away from possibly the two most annoying guys in Vermont.

"What'd I tell ya Randy," Justin laughed, "you owe me five bucks," he held out his hand waiting for Randy to reluctantly draw the required amount from his wallet and hand it over. As Justin placed the money in his own wallet, Tiffany couldn't help but notice that it was empty before he added the five dollar note to it.

"You two made a bet on what my name was?" Tiffany demanded, her hazel eyes flashing in fury.

"No, we made a bet that your name would be bimbo soundin'," Randy said, as if that made the situation any better, "Tiffany sounds pretty bimbo-like to me."

Tiffany shook her head in disbelief, were these two for real? Who made a bet on whether someone's name sounded 'bimbo' or not? "Wow, mature," she said sarcastically.

"We've got a Layla, Maryse and Kelly at our school, all hot as fuck and they all have names like yours," Justin grinned, "so really you should take it as a compliment that we think you're hot enough to have a bimbo name."

"Aww thankyou," Tiffany exclaimed in a ditzy voice, "but I have to like go now, so I guess I'll like see youse around. Toodles!" She laughed to herself, seeing the expression on Justin and Randy's faces was worth putting on the dumb blonde act. If that's all they thought she was, she may as well play the part. Tiffany got into the Escalade where her mum was waiting impatiently, "let's go!" she said with fake enthusiasm.

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><p><em><strong>Author's Note: Thanks to those who reviewedalerted/favourited the previous chapter, appreciate it :)**_

_**What does everyone think of this chapter? Leave your thoughts in a review :)**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Author's Note: Special thanks to Nexusgurl450 for being a loyal reviewer/reader, much appreciated :)  
>Thanks to those who reviewedalerted/favourited, keep it up. Here's chapter 4, enjoy **_

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><p>Tiffany glanced at the scene outside the tinted passenger-side window of the Escalade, "I thought you said I'd be going to school in Lorcliff?" she questioned her mum, who was sitting beside her, fussing with her appearance in the small mirror she held in her hand.<p>

"Mmm, you are," her mum replied once she had re-glossed her pink lips. She handed back the mirror to Tiffany who tossed it into her favourite Luis Vuitton handbag, "see 'Lorcliff High' that's what the sign says."

"But..." Tiffany trailed off. There was no way they were in the same Lorcliff where she'd recently moved to. There was no way the rundown apartment complex she called home belonged to the same town where they were now. Surrounding her were manicured green lawns, sprawling, mansion-like houses with water features in the front yards, the streets were clean and looked after. What impressed Tiffany the most though was the school. Where she was expecting chain-link fences and barbed wire there were white, stone pillars with an archway displaying the words 'Diversity Breeds Knowledge'. Instead of concrete, graffiti and shady-looking exchanges, the front yard was filled with clusters of preppy students, leafy oak trees and freshly mown grass. This is definitely not what Tiffany imagined her new school to look like.

"Not what you expected?" her mum asked, seeing Tiffany's perplexed expression etched upon her face.

"Nope, not at all," she replied, "why couldn't we live there instead of at that crummy apartment?" Tiffany pointed a manicured finger to a house across from the school, a 'For Sale' sign posted in the front yard.

"Tiff," her mum sighed, "we've already had this conversation. You know we can't afford a fancy house right now..." her voice trailed off and Tiffany noticed her mum's eyes - going glassy with tears - focused on the smiling face of Richard Terrell featured on the 'For Sale' sign. Tiffany realised that her father's plans for expanding his business to include the New England area must have been a success.

Anger bubbled up inside of her, even here, in Vermont she couldn't escape the lying and betrayal of her father's grin. "C'mon," she said, pulling her mum from the daze she was in, "we'll be late." Tiffany waited until the morning bell had rung, students filing into the cement rendered school building before making her way to the administration office, her mum following behind.

Tiffany sat on one of the dark blue chairs in Headmaster Levesque's office, fiddling with the end of her blonde braid. The Headmaster had been droning on about the schools rules and policies, she had zoned out after the first three minutes of his lecture but her mum was still listening expectantly, "Ms Terrell," he warned, causing Tiffany to break out of her day-dreams, "we have very high expectations here at Lorcliff High, I'm sure you'll live up to the standards set by our students," he said, glancing down at her manuscripts from her school in Manhattan, "here's your handbook and schedule, Rosa Mendes is waiting in the office to show you to your first class," after he handed over Tiffany's paperwork, he dismissed her and her mum from his office and went back to typing at his computer. She said goodbye to her mum as she went to find out who Headmaster Levesque had assigned as her tour guide.

Tiffany was welcomed by a pretty Latina dressed in a black, orange and white cheer uniform; she breathed a sigh of relief, grateful that she wasn't paired with some nerdish, social outcast, "Hey," Tiffany greeted cheerfully.

"_Hola_. _¿Qué tienes en primer lugar?_" Rosa said before quickly translating her words to English once she saw Tiffany's confused face, "I mean, what do you have first?" she laughed. _So this is Justin's famous neighbour_, she thought to herself, Rosa studied Tiffany as she pulled out her schedule, noting her designer clothing and handbag. She had no idea why this obviously rich, blonde girl would be living in the same area the _Los Diablos_ controlled. People like her didn't even know of the dirty dealings that went down in the Southside.

"Uhh, chemistry with Mrs Spalling," Tiffany answered Rosa's question and followed the dark haired teenager towards the main building. The corridors were decorated with banners in the school colours promoting the school's football team: the 'Lorcliff Jaguars'. Bulletin boards displayed all sorts of sign-up sheets for every team and club from track, football and wrestling to mathletes and chess, and posters advertising Homecoming and nomination forms for King and Queen.

Rosa stopped outside room 101, "well, this is it," she said, her Spanish accent coming through in her words, "I'm not in this class but I'll see you around. _Adi__os_,"

Tiffany stepped into the unfamiliar room, her mint green Manolo Blahnik pumps clicking on the linoleum floor with each step she took. Every pair of eyes in the classroom looked up to see who the new-comer was. Tiffany noticed that she wasn't the only designer-clad student in the room; at least she wouldn't have to worry about standing out to much. While she was introducing herself to the teacher, she recognised a pair of semi-familiar eyes. _Justin_. She couldn't believe it. First, she had to put up with him being her neighbour and now in her chemistry class. He was sitting next to his dreadlocked friend, who sent her a sly wink.

"Everyone, this is Tiffany Terrell, she's just moved here from Manhattan," Mrs Spalling introduced her to the Senior chemistry class, "I'm sure you'll all make her feel welcome. Tiffany seeing as you've started late, basically everyone already has their lab partners. But luckily for you, Justin Gabriel doesn't have partner, so you can pair up with him," Mrs Spalling instructed Tiffany on where and who Justin was, although unbeknown to the teacher and the rest of the class, she already knew. "Mr Reks!" the teacher shouted, her loud voice not matching her petite frame, "you know who your partner is. Now go and sit with them!"

Whispers begun to fill the silent classroom as Tiffany made her way towards the back where Justin sitting, his arms crossed against his chest. Justin didn't acknowledge her as she sat in the hard plastic chair and Tiffany didn't know if this was a good or bad thing. It would've been nice if she had at least one possible acquaintance at Lorcliff High, but Justin wasn't the type of guy who she would really want to be friends with. He was cocky, arrogant and most of all a jerk, a good-looking jerk, but a jerk nonetheless

A brunette in front of Tiffany suddenly turned around to face her, "you poor thing," she sympathised, not caring that Justin was in hearing range, "you hang with me and you'll be fine here," she said in a British accent, "oh I'm Layla by the way." Tiffany studied Layla; she definitely didn't look like a girl who would align herself with people like Justin and his friends. Wearing a royal blue Wayne Cooper dress and Chanel earrings, Layla was the type of friend that Tiffany was used to, the type of friend she needed in this town, not someone like Justin.

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><p>"Girl, I can't believed you got paired with <em>Justin Gabriel<em>," Layla said as her and Tiffany were collecting their Algebra textbooks from the blue lockers situated in the main corridor of Lorcliff High, "sure he's hot and everything, but the guy's a gangbanger!"

Tiffany's hand froze on the thick textbook after hearing Layla's words. _Gangbanger_. Justin, her neighbour, her chemistry partner, belonged to a gang? "I felt so sorry for Maria when she was paired up with Tyler Reks, that's the guy with the dirty looking dreads," Layla babbled on though Tiffany wasn't paying any attention, "but you've got it much worse." All she could think about was how she was living next to a guy who dealt drugs and shot people because they looked at him the wrong way.

"So, uh, how do you know he's in a gang?" Tiffany asked Layla, who was fixing her straightened hair in the small mirror stuck on the inside of her locker.

"Well, pretty much everyone knows that he is. Along with Randy, Tyler and Jayson," Layla explained, happy to fill the new girl in on the details, "it's common knowledge. Just try not to get on his bad side..."

"Lay," a French voice cut Layla off, "I need help." Tiffany turned to look at the person who had interrupter their conversation; she was faced with a stunning blonde, dressed head to toe in Prada, "Oh, hey," the girl greeted Tiffany.

"Maryse, this is Tiffany," Layla introduced Tiffany to her friend, "she moved here from Manhattan. Oh and she's been paired up with Justin in chemistry."

"Aw sweetheart," Maryse comforted Tiffany. Everyone who heard that she was paired up with him immediately felt sorry for her; obviously he wasn't the type of person who should be trusted, "but seriously Lay, I need help. Alex told me, who heard from Cody, who'd been told by Swagger, that Ted wants to talk to me," Maryse bit down on her pink, frosted lip in worry.

Tiffany silently removed her books from her assigned locker and made her way to Algebra, leaving the two friends to deal with their problem. She had her own problem to deal with, and it came in the form of a sexy, cocky, gang member.


	5. Chapter 5

**_Author's Note: WOW! I am ever so sorry! It has been almost a _year_ since I last updated this story! I feel horrible, especially after all of the lovely reviews I got for chapter 4. Hopefully, you guys are all still with me, and that this chapter makes up for the lack of updates!_**

**_Special thanks to: RKO-Mickie-Morrison-Hardy, 17dreamer1212, codytoads, MooShoo Everett, ME and OriginalBlayze for their reviews of the previous chapter and for everyone who alerted or added to their favourites. I really, really appreciate the effort :)_**

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><p>Justin smirked as he felt the smooth cool steel of the Glock sliding against his skin as he pulled the gun from the waistband of his baggy jeans. Seeing the frightened look on Chris Wilkes' face only made his smirk bigger. He glanced over to Tyler and the two of them chuckled, clearing enjoying seeing the rich, white boy squirm in their presence, "you should really think twice before tryin' to get out of payin' what you owe Chris," Justin said, stepping closer to the scared teen, who was backing up against his shiny Cadillac CTS-V coupe, "pay up," he demanded.<p>

"I don't have the money," Chris blurted out an apology, "please just one more day!" he begged, sweat dripping down his forehead.

"That's not how it works bro," Tyler explained, slowly tapping his own gun against the expensive car, "and you know it." He saw the nervousness in Chris' eyes as he realised the truth in Tyler's words. Chris Wilkes knew the dangers of dealing drugs with a gang controlled by Alberto Del Rio, he knew what would happen if he made Del Rio angry.

"I'll have the cash tomorrow," Chris pleaded, "I promise!" he ran a hand through his cropped blonde hair, trying to beg his way out of the situation he was currently in.

Justin closed the distance between them, "what makes you think we'll believe you?" he said sinisterly. He looked at Tyler and they both laughed, "we're not stupid, we'll need collateral," he added, eyeing off Chris's black Cadillac. Justin and Tyler both knew that going back to Shad without the money would be bad, though going back without anything would be much worse. But the Haitian man knew that the two boys would collect, they always pulled through.

"Not the car!" Chris exclaimed. It was his prized possession, a gift from his dad for obtaining the football scholarship to an elite Californian college, which he'd worked so hard for, "_please_ guys, not the car."

Tyler gave a sigh of frustration, "we don't have time for this, let's just get it over with," he said lazily to Justin, motioning to Chris with his Beretta. Justin grinned upon seeing the panicked look on Chris' face, he and Tyler had managed to perfect the art of scaring people into giving them what they want years ago.

"What?" Chris asked nervously, before understanding the hidden meaning behind Tyler's words, "oh _god_ no…no…please!" he cried, on the verge of breaking down, "just take them!" he said, tossing the keys to his car at Tyler.

"Thanks bro, I've always wanted to drive a Caddy," Tyler laughed cruelly, patting the faint-looking Chris on the back, "seriously though, you better have the money tomorrow," he added, sometimes he loved what he did, having the power was one well-liked advantage to being in the gang.

"I will! I promise," Chris said weakly – still scared of the presence of the two gang members – before running down the street away from the products of his nightmares.

Back at the warehouse Justin and Tyler updated Shad on the situation with Chris, and just like they expected he wasn't happy that they didn't get the cash. However the Cadillac was a sweet form of collateral, "and don't expect me to let you two drive around in this car!" Shad barked at the boys, crushing their dreams of cruising around the streets in the expensive automobile.

Rosa chuckled from her place next to the second-in-charge, shooting the boys a warning look, silently telling them not to defy the man unless they wanted to end up with a black eye and a bloody lip. "So Justin," Rosa said innocently, "I met your girl today."

"What do you mean '_my girl_'?" Justin replied confused, before Rosa rolled her eyes at him, "oh, that blonde bimbo, what's her name… Tiffany?"

"Yeah, she seems nice," Rosa mused, laughing at the expression on Justin's face, "and… I heard that you two are chem partners." News around Lorcliff High travelled fast; new relationships, break-ups, hook-ups, but the story of the hot, new girl being paired up with a member of the _Los Diablos _seemed to break the gossip-mill record.

"The look on her face was priceless," Justin said cockily, fist bumping Tyler who had also witnessed the look of shock mixed with disgust when Tiffany was informed who her lab partner would be for the year.

"Just try not to mess with her too much," Rosa sighed, knowing Justin and the boys' track record of harassment, last year Torrie Wilson was the unfortunate subject of their sexual advances and innuendoes, which led to her having to transfer schools.

"What can I say?" Justin shrugged his shoulders, "young, dumb and blonde is my type," he added, leaving Rosa to shake her head at his words.

Back at the rundown, block of apartments, Tiffany Terrell was sitting out the front of her new home, digesting her first day of school and the news that she had received about her next-door neighbour. Layla's words repeated throughout her head, '_gangbanger… gangbanger… gangbanger_' each one louder than the previous. She was living next door to a member of the most dangerous gang in the Lorcliff area, she trembled thinking about how many people could've been shot in the exact spot she was sitting.

The loud chatter of voices dragged Tiffany from her macabre thoughts. Looking up, she saw not only Justin, but the rest of his friends. Immediately, her eyes darted away from the group, inwardly groaning as the ring-leader and her next-door neighbour yelled out to her, "hey princess," Justin greeted her, smirking as she shuddered at the nick-name he seemed to have appointed her. Tiffany refused to look at him, her steely glare staying focused on the rusty railing in front of her, "aw don't be like that baby girl, you have to talk to me sometime," he said cockily, "we are chemistry partners after all," Justin added as his friends sniggered at his words.

Tiffany's insides crawled at the mention of them being chemistry partners. She hated it. She hated him, but most of all she hated her father for effectively putting her in this situation. A situation, where if she wasn't careful, could end up with her being six-feet under. The movement within the still, night air, told her that Justin was sitting right next to her, but still, she refused to look at him. "We could have a lot of fun y'know," he whispered in her ear, "with all of this… chemistry," he grinned, knowing that he was winding her up.

Tiffany finally gave up and turned towards him, shooting him an icy look before drawing back her hand and slapping him across the cheek, immediately leaving a red hand-print on his tanned skin. She immediately got up off the bench and walked inside her apartment, slamming the door behind her. She slid down behind the wooden door and let out a few shaky breaths. She just slapped Justin Gabriel. She just slapped a gang member. "_What have I done_?" she thought to herself, knowing that the retaliation for such an act could be deadly, "_what have I done_!?"

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><p><strong><em>Author's Note: What does everyone think? Hopefully this chapter made up for the severe lack of updates! From now on, I'll try my best to keep this story flowing, and it definitely won't be another year before you guys see chapter 6!<em>**

**_Please review, it means a lot to me! And will motivate me to write more, now that I don't have school to worry about :)_**


	6. Chapter 6

_**Author's Note: Ugh, I swear I'm cursed with some sort of disease which makes it impossible for me to have a regular updating pattern, I'm so soo sooo sorry about the amount of time it took to get this chapter up and published! A giant thankyou to LegitElizabethWWEFan, WWEStories and OriginalBlayze for their lovely reviews of the previous chapter and support for this story, I feel so bad for letting you guys down with my inability to update in a respectable time frame. I hope you're still with me!**_

_**Also, if all of you readers could do me a massive favour and check out my other stories 'I'm Bringing Sexy Back' and the Magic Mike inspired 'Little Slice of Heaven' it would be greatly appreciated, a review would also be extra nice :)**_

_**And now, on to chapter 6! I hope you all enjoy it!**_

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><p>Tiffany groaned as she pulled the pale blue comforter up over her head at the sound of the Backstreet Boys blaring from her radio alarm. She <em>did not<em> want to go to school today. Even the sound of her Aunt and Uncle's voices penetrating the thin walls didn't encourage her to get up, despite the fact that their presence meant her car had finally arrived. Her relatives were held up yesterday, so she had to wait even longer for her prized possession to be delivered. Reluctantly, Tiffany dragged herself from the warmth of her bed, wishing that she could suddenly develop a highly contagious disease and be forced to stay bed-ridden for the rest of her life. Or until Justin Gabriel forgot all about her. Justin Gabriel aka the deadly gang member who just happened to not only be her neighbour but also her chemistry partner. And of course, Tiffany had been stupid enough to slap him in a momentarily lapse of judgement. "Maybe it is true what people say about 'dumb blondes'," Tiffany thought angrily as she slipped out of her pyjamas and into a tight baby blue tank and cut-off denim shorts, tying her long, and unfortunately, blonde hair into a messy bun knotted on top of her head. Grabbing her white, fluffy, knitted cardigan from the wardrobe she finally exited the security and safety of her room.

"Oh Tiff!" Joanne exclaimed, "how are you darling?" she questioned in her usual over-the-top way. Tiffany's aunt was definitely one of a kind, always dressed to the nines in some form of animal print and red lipstick. Sometimes Tiffany didn't know how her mum was related to her sister. Her uncle looked on in amusement as he shook his head at his wife's ways. "It was so horrible what that _Richard_ did to you guys. What did I tell you Kate? Never trust a man who always wears a suit," she continued, "that's why I married Gregory," her aunt said fondly, looking at her husband who was dressed in a plaid shirt and dark wash jeans. The relationship between her aunt and uncle was one that Tiffany would never understand, how could someone as high maintenance as her aunt be with someone as chilled out as her uncle?

Tiffany's mood was lightened by her aunt's antics, she always seemed to have that effect on people. Grabbing her car keys that were sitting on the faded bench top, Tiffany said her goodbyes to her family, including an air-kiss to Joanne, before exiting her new home. She hoped that her early departure would result in the avoidance of her neighbour. After all, a lifestyle of killing people must be a tiring one, Tiffany mused. She knew she would be forced to see him in their one hour chemistry class, and that was all she wanted to deal with. The bare minimum. Unfortunately for Tiffany, she couldn't be so lucky.

Standing around inspecting the shiny, apple red vintage Mustang convertible was just the group Tiffany was hoping to avoid. The shaved head and tattooed arms of Randy Orton. The long dreadlocks and intimidating presence of Tyler Reks. The stereotypical 'gangster' image of Jayson Paul. And then there was Justin Gabriel, the guy who looked like Heaven but was the definition of Hell. Tiffany couldn't help but admire his obvious good looks, if only he was one of the private school boys she was used to, instead of being a member of one of the area's most notorious gangs.

The sight of the group was enough for Tiffany to freeze in her position on the concrete steps leading down to the car park. Justin by himself was bad enough to deal with, but when his arrogance was fuelled by the male desire to impress their friends, Tiffany knew that she would have trouble avoiding his unwanted attention. She noticed Jayson nudge her neighbour, before Justin turned around and stared at Tiffany, his eyes boring into hers. He waved his arm in a sweeping gesture at the car, as if inviting her to walk down towards her prized possession. Tiffany swallowed deeply, before nervously walking towards the group, after all, she couldn't stand frozen on the steps for the whole day.

Avoiding eye contact with the group, Tiffany finally reached her car which the boys had been inspecting in admiration. "Nice car you've got here Princess," Justin said, a cocky smile on his face, "be a real shame if anything ever happened to it," he added, which caused Tiffany to snap her head up, staring up at Justin, her mouth open in shock.

"You wouldn't…" she said timidly. Her car was a 16th birthday present from her father. Although he was now out of her life, it was a reminder of the happier times that the two of them had shared.

"Well sweet-cheeks, you better think twice before slapping me again," Justin said aggressively, "as I'm sure your bimbo friends have told you, I'm a bad person. It'd be in your best interest to not make me angry." Tiffany looked down at the asphalt of the car park, somehow, she knew that Justin meant every word that he had just said. "So," he continued, "how about a ride to school," Justin said in a way which was more of a demand than a question.

Tiffany groaned inwardly, why did she have to slap the stupid, annoying, perfect face of Justin Gabriel? If she had been smart, she would've done everything she could have to steer clear of her neighbour and chemistry partner once Layla told her that he was a gang member. Instead, she let her emotions get the best of her. And now, she was subject to the every whim and desire of the boy she wanted to avoid, for she wouldn't dare to say 'no' to a member of the _Los Diablos_.

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><p><strong><em>Author's Note: Firstly, I'd like to apologise about the length of this chapter. I know it's on the shorter side, but it just felt like the natural spot to end the chapter. Secondly, what did everyone think? I hope it was worth the wait! Feel free to leave your comments, opinions, likesdislikes in a review, constructive criticism is highly appreciated! :)_**


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